Anxiety

What is Anxiety? 

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe. Everyone has feelings of

anxiety at some point in their life e.g. you may feel worried and anxious about sitting a test, going to a new

year group, having an injection, a job interview etc.

The pandemic and lockdown may have impacted on children’s mental health in many different ways. In

school for example, we have seen a larger number of children who are experiencing increased anxiety and

struggling to understand how they are feeling.

Below is an explanation for children as to why we become anxious and how it makes our bodies feel.

Why do we get anxious?

Our bodies have a built-survival instinct from over 50,000 years ago, when we might have been living in the wild. Imagine you are walking through the jungle and a tiger jumps out at you. Your life is in danger, so you need to run.

What happens when we get anxious?

When we see something scary, we tell our brains 🧠 that something frightening is about to happen. Our brain then gives our body instructions so that it is ready to run fast.

These changes can save our lives as they help us to react quickly. In the case of a tiger chasing us, it would help us to run away!

When do you feel anxious? 

You may be seeing ‘tigers’ where they don’t exist. However, these feelings are very real to you. For example, do you get these anxious feelings at the thought of starting the school day, attending a birthday party, or going to swimming lessons?

You might get anxious about the thought of getting lost, leaving your parents/carers for a short while, or going somewhere you’ve never been before? When you get these feelings, you may want to try and stay away from the place that makes you feel like this, because you believe that something scary will happen.

Supporting your child with anxiety

If your child is struggling with worry or anxiety, here are some ways you can support them and places you can get help.

Try a relaxation technique

Relaxing and focusing 🧘 on the present can help improve your child’s mental health and lighten negative feelings.

why not try some yoga with your child.

https://www.youtube.com/@CosmicKidsYoga